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DevexpressApplication

CVE-2022-28684

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.1.18 / 18.2.17 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of DevExpress. Authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the SafeBinaryFormatter library. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in deserialization of untrusted data. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the service account. Was ZDI-CAN-16710.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This is a deserialization vulnerability in DevExpress's SafeBinaryFormatter library. An authenticated remote attacker can send specially crafted serialized data that, due to lack of proper validation, allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the service account. The vulnerability stems from the SafeBinaryFormatter deserializing untrusted user-supplied data without validation.

MitigationUpgrade DevExpress to a version that patches this vulnerability, or implement input validation/safe deserialization patterns if patching is not immediately feasible. If SafeBinaryFormatter is not essential, replace it with safer alternatives like System.Text.Json.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
DevexpressApplication
Affected:>= 18.1.0, < 18.1.18>= 18.2.0, < 18.2.17>= 19.1.0, < 19.1.15>= 19.2.0, < 19.2.14>= 20.1.0, < 20.1.15>= 20.2.0, < 20.2.11>= 21.1.0, < 21.1.9>= 21.2.0, < 21.2.7= 22.1.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify DevExpress installation and version
    Check the application's referenced DevExpress assemblies (e.g., DevExpress.Data.v18.1.dll, DevExpress.Data.v19.1.dll, etc.) or inspect the installed DevExpress packages via the project's references, NuGet packages, or the bin directory. Determine the version number from the file properties or package manifest.
    Affected if The installed DevExpress version falls within any of these ranges: 18.1.0-17, 18.2.0-16, 19.1.0-14, 19.2.0-13, 20.1.0-14, 20.2.0-10, 21.1.0-8, 21.2.0-6, or is exactly 22.1.0.
  2. Locate SafeBinaryFormatter usage in code
    Search the codebase for usages of 'SafeBinaryFormatter' type or namespace (e.g., using DevExpress.Security.SecurityUtils, DevExpress.Data.Browsing, or similar DevExpress namespaces that expose SafeBinaryFormatter). Also check for BinaryFormatter or custom deserialization patterns in files that handle user-supplied data.
    Affected if Code references SafeBinaryFormatter or related DevExpress deserialization utilities that handle incoming data.
  3. Determine if deserialized data originates from untrusted sources
    Inspect the data flow leading to SafeBinaryFormatter deserialization calls. Check whether the serialized data comes from HTTP requests, file uploads, message queues, network sockets, or other external inputs. Trace the source of the byte array or stream passed to the formatter.
    Affected if The data being deserialized comes from client requests, user-uploaded files, API endpoints, or any source outside the application's trusted boundary.
  4. Verify authentication requirements
    Review whether the endpoints or methods that trigger SafeBinaryFormatter deserialization are protected by authentication (e.g., require login, API key, token). Check web.config, app.config, or authorization policies for the relevant code paths.
    Affected if The code path exposing SafeBinaryFormatter is accessible to unauthenticated users, or authentication can be bypassed.
  5. Inspect application configuration
    Check application configuration files (web.config, app.config, appsettings.json) for any custom serializer settings, unsafe deserialization configurations, or DevExpress-related security settings that may enable this behavior.
    Affected if Configuration enables deserialization of untrusted data or does not restrict SafeBinaryFormatter usage.

The environment is affected if it runs any DevExpress version within the vulnerable ranges listed AND uses SafeBinaryFormatter to deserialize data from untrusted external sources without additional validation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 18.1.18 / 18.2.17 / 19.1.15 or later
Fixed in 18.1.1818.2.1719.1.15
Interim mitigation

Upgrade DevExpress to a version that patches this vulnerability, or implement input validation/safe deserialization patterns if patching is not immediately feasible. If SafeBinaryFormatter is not essential, replace it with safer alternatives like System.Text.Json.

Recommended fix High confidence

DevExpress 18.1.18, 18.2.17, 19.1.15, or 19.2.14 (depending on your current major version branch)

  1. 1. Identify the currently deployed DevExpress version by checking your project references or NuGet packages
  2. 2. Determine which major version line (18.1.x, 18.2.x, 19.1.x, or 19.2.x) your installation falls into based on the affected version ranges
  3. 3. For version 18.1.x: upgrade to version 18.1.18 or later
  4. 4. For version 18.2.x: upgrade to version 18.2.17 or later
  5. 5. For version 19.1.x: upgrade to version 19.1.15 or later
  6. 6. For version 19.2.x: upgrade to version 19.2.14 or later
  7. 7. Update the DevExpress NuGet package reference in your project file (packages.config or .csproj) to the appropriate fixed version
  8. 8. Restore the updated NuGet packages
Caveat Standard patch upgrades typically have minimal breaking changes; however, review DevExpress release notes for your target version to check for any behavior changes or deprecated features

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Devexpress Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,980
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-28684 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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